(TRENTON, NJ) -- The New Jersey State Council on the Arts held a public meeting on March 16, where nearly $750,000 was awarded to 50 New Jersey nonprofit organizations through a recovery program that will help the arts sector prepare for a full-scale recovery.

The COVID Critical Needs Program (CCN) is a single year grant program that provides support for COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and safeguarding needs for arts nonprofits. The CCN Program will financially assist New Jersey organizations with their efforts to ensure their venues are compliant with all safety standards as they welcome the public back inside.

The grant recipients include American Repertory Ballet, Appel Farm Arts & Music Campus, Arts Council of Princeton, Asbury Park Music Foundation, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Cape May Stage, Eagle Theatre, Farmstead Arts, Frontline Arts, George Street Playhouse, GlassRoots, Grounds for Sculpture, Growing Stage - The Children's Theatre of NJ, Guttenberg Arts, Hopewell Valley Children’s Theatre, Hunterdon Art Museum, Institute of Music for Children, Jazz House Kids, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, Luna Stage Company, Mainstage Center for the Arts, Matheny Medical & Educational Center, Mayo Performing Arts Center, McCarter Theatre Center, Monmouth Arts, Monmouth Museum & Cultural Center, Montclair Art Museum, and Montclair Film.

"The arts and entertainment industry has been among the hardest hit by the COVID pandemic," said Secretary of State Tahesha Way. "And yet, over the past year, New Jersey’s arts community has adapted to continue reaching people throughout the state and across the globe at a time when the power of the arts has been needed most. I am proud to work closely with the Arts Council to help ensure our state’s arts organizations can reopen and welcome audiences in a safe environment."

The program was spearheaded by Council Program Officer Diane Felcyn, who said: “Many New Jersey arts organizations have remained shuttered for the majority of the last year. While our community has adapted to offering virtual programming and limited in-person attendance, we cannot truly begin to rebuild until we can do what the arts do best – bring people together for a shared experience. By creating a grant program to support COVID-specific updates for physical venues and locations, we are helping organizations take the crucial step of creating a safe environment for audiences, artists, crew, and staff.”

"We are extremely grateful to Governor Murphy and his Administration for their ongoing support of the arts in New Jersey," said Council Chair Elizabeth Mattson. "The increase in state funds the Council received this year allowed us to continue our previous grant commitments, while also giving us the means to provide much needed COVID-specific recovery and relief funding. The Council recognizes the important role the arts will play in our state’s overall recovery, and this program is an essential component in that work.”

In addition to the COVID Critical Needs grants, the State Arts Council also announced that 58 arts organizations will be receiving over $2.3 million in General Operating/General Program Support as part of the Council’s priority to aid the field in COVID recovery and relief efforts.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.